Ballmer tipped to buy basketball team

The troubled NBA's Los Angeles Clippers rounders team is facing a terrible rumour that they are about to be bought out by the former CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer. Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, was scheduled to meet with Shelly Sterling, the wife of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, this weekend to discuss buying the team.

Donald Sterling was dropped from the Leage after making racially charged remarks in an audio recording. Sterling has opted to hand over control of the team to his wife so she can negotiate its sale. A number of names have cropped up as possible candidates to take over the team, and Ballmer’s name was shouted out. (Perhaps Sterling should move to Europe and become an MEP, he ticks all the right boxes. Ed)

Ballmer, reportedly worth $20 billion,might take the team to Seattle. The local team was taken to Oklahoma and renamed Oklahoma City Thunder and there have been numerous calls to bring an NBA team back to the city.

Such a move would make Ballmer a local hero at least somewhere in the universe. There's also the possibility of Ballmer using his technology ties to further push the Clippers, which are the league's worst and most underexposed teams.

Ballmer is the second Microsoft bod to own an NBA team, the first being Paul Allen, the owner of the Portland Trailblazers. Since Allen took over the team has done rather well.